O'Driscoll congratulates England. (Getty Images)
HOW THE IRELAND PLAYERS RATED
By Andrew Baldock, PA Sport Rugby Union Correspondent
Geordan Murphy: Easily Ireland's most accomplished and dangerous attacking
weapon. Had a fine game. 8
Justin Bishop: Had little opportunity to threaten in attack, but battled hard
throughout the contest. 6
Brian O'Driscoll: The Ireland captain went off injured during the closing
minutes. The genial centre shone at times, but England monitored him well. 7
Kevin Maggs: A solid display by the Bath centre, although his club colleague
Mike Tindall secured ultimately secured bragging rights. 6
Denis Hickie: England marshalled the dangerous Leinster wing closely. Had few
chances in the danger zone. 6
David Humphreys: Missed a couple of early kicks, and was never able to boss
the game in the way opposite number Jonny Wilkinson managed. 6
Peter Stringer: Lost out in his scrum-half battle with Matt Dawson. An
aggressive competitor, but met his match today. 6
Marcus Horan: Made one powerful run early on, but then faded. Definitely a
player for the future, though. 6
Shane Byrne: Made little headway against a superb English pack, and was
outplayed by his opposite number Steve Thompson. 6
John Hayes: A strong start from the Munster prop, yet could not sustain it as
the pressure came on from England. 6
Gary Longwell: Went off midway through the second half after giving everything
to the Irish cause. 7
Malcolm O'Kelly: A consistent performer throughout, and has been one of
Ireland's best players this season. 7
Victor Costello: Never stopped running or tackling in the 68 minutes he was on
the pitch. Gutsy display. 7
Keith Gleeson: Could not match the mighty efforts of England's back-row, but
is sure to learn a lot from today's experience. 6
Anthony Foley: Another brave, strong performance from the Leinster number
eight, but opposite number Lawrence Dallaglio was a class above. 7
Replacements:
Paul O'Connell: Replaced lock Gary Longwell in the 56th minute, but could do
nothing to prevent England from running away with it. 6
Ronan O'Gara: Richly-talented player, but by the time he arrived on 63 minutes
for Humphreys, it was too late. 6
Alan Quinlan: Replaced Costello 12 minutes from the end, just as England were
moving through the gears. 6
Justin Fitzpatrick: Prop replacement for Horan in the 75th minute. 6
Girvan Dempsey: An injury-time deputy for injured skipper O'Driscoll. 6
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